One of slide door apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed in JP2003-82927A (hereinafter, referred to as reference 1), for example. The slide door apparatus for the vehicle disclosed in the reference 1 includes a guiding rail, which is provided at a vehicle body, and a slide door, which is movably supported to the guiding rail and with which a door opening formed at a side portion of the vehicle body is opened and closed. The slide door incorporates therein a driving device including an electric motor, a drum, for example. Further, one end of a first cable and one end of a second cable are connected to the driving device. Still further, the first cable is provided from the slide door to the vehicle body via one of intermediate pulleys provided in the slide door and plural guide pulleys of a guide pulley unit, and the second cable is provided from the slide door to the vehicle body via another of the intermediate pulleys and the plural guide pulleys. Then, another end of the first cable is connected to the vehicle body at a front side of the guiding rail and another end of the second cable is connected to the vehicle body at a rear side of the guiding rail. Each of the guide pulleys of the guide pulley unit includes two groove portions, which are arranged in parallel in an axial direction and at which the first and second cables are separately disposed, respectively. Thus, a path of the first cable and a path of the second cable do not overlap each other.
So configured, the slide door is moved in a backward direction, i.e., in a direction where the door opening is opened, by unwinding the first cable and winding the second cable, for example, by means of the driving device. Further, on the contrary, the slide door is moved in a forward direction, i.e., in a direction where the door opening is closed, by winding the first cable and unwinding the second cable by the driving device.
The guide pulley unit includes a first housing member and a second housing member for accommodating the plural guide pulleys. The plural guide pulleys are supported by pins, respectively, and one end of each pin is secured to the first housing member and another end of each of pin is secured to the second housing member.
In such a state, when assembling the first and second cables to the guide pulley unit, the plurality of guide pulleys are disposed at corresponding predetermined positions on the first housing member, for example. Then, the second cable is disposed in one of the groove portions of each guide pulley, which is adjacent to the first housing member, so as to correspond to the path of the second cable.
Next, the first cable is disposed in the other one of the groove portions of each guide pulley, which is away from the first housing member (i.e., which is adjacent to the second housing member), so as to correspond to the path of the first cable. Then, the first housing member is covered with the second housing member. The first and second housing members are secured by means of the pins, which are inserted through the corresponding guide pulleys and of which ends are secured to the first and second housing members. Thus, the guide pulleys, at which the first and second cables are disposed, are accommodated in a space defined by the first and second housing members so as to be rotatable about the corresponding pins.
When assembling the first and second cables, the second cable may be disposed in the grove portion where the first cable is to be disposed, and/or the first cable may be disposed in the groove portion where the second cable is to be disposed. Thus, a process for assembling the first and second cables may not be properly executed. Further, a process for preventing such assembling mistake of the first and second cables may be complicated.
A need thus exists for a slide door apparatus for a vehicle which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.